• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.349-364
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• 2008

Over the years, probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) research activities conducted at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) have played an essential role in support of the agency's move towards risk-informed regulation. These research activities have provided the technical basis for NRC's regulatory activities in key areas; provided PRA methods, tools, and data enabling the agency to meet future challenges; supported the implementation of NRC's 1995 PRA Policy Statement by assessing key sources of risk; and supported the development of necessary technical and human resources supporting NRC's risk-informed activities. PRA research aimed at improving the NRC's understanding of risk can positively affect the agency's regulatory activities, as evidenced by three case studies involving research on fire PRA, human reliability analysis (HRA), and pressurized thermal shock (PTS) PRA. These case studies also show that such research can take a considerable amount of time, and that the incorporation of research results into regulatory practice can take even longer. The need for sustained effort and appropriate lead time is an important consideration in the development of a PRA research program aimed at helping the agency address key sources of risk for current and potential future facilities.

• Nuclear industry
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• no.3
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• pp.135-157
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• 1978

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.207-217
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• 1983

A brief review is presented for the state-of-art waste treatment technologies, siting issues, and regulatory requirements in geologic disposal of nuclear wastes. Key technical issues that need to be solved by waste management research program are also presented.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.896-908
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• 2022

As a part of probabilistic risk (or safety) assessment (PRA or PSA) of nuclear power plants (NPPs), the primary role of human reliability analysis (HRA) is to provide credible estimations of the human error probabilities (HEPs) of safety-critical tasks. In this regard, it is vital to provide credible HEPs based on firm technical underpinnings including (but not limited to): (1) how to collect HRA data from available sources of information, and (2) how to inform HRA practitioners with the collected HRA data. Because of these necessities, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute independently developed two dedicated HRA data collection systems, SACADA (Scenario Authoring, Characterization, And Debriefing Application) and HuREX (Human Reliability data EXtraction), respectively. These systems provide unique frameworks that can be used to secure HRA data from full-scope training simulators of NPPs (i.e., simulator data). In order to investigate the applicability of these two systems, two papers have been prepared with distinct purposes. The first paper, entitled "SACADA and HuREX: Part 1. The Use of SACADA and HuREX Systems to Collect Human Reliability Data", deals with technical issues pertaining to the collection of HRA data. This second paper explains how the two systems are able to inform HRA practitioners. To this end, the process of estimating HEPs is demonstrated based on feed-and-bleed operations using HRA data from the two systems.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.1686-1697
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• 2022

As a part of probabilistic risk (or safety) assessment (PRA or PSA) of nuclear power plants (NPPs), the primary role of human reliability analysis (HRA) is to provide credible estimations of the human error probabilities (HEPs) of safety-critical tasks. Accordingly, HRA community has emphasized the accumulation of HRA data to support HRA practitioners for many decades. To this end, it is critical to resolve practical problems including (but not limited to): (1) how to collect HRA data from available information sources, and (2) how to inform HRA practitioners with the collected HRA data. In this regard, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) independently initiated two large projects to accumulate HRA data by using full-scale simulators (i.e., simulator data). In terms of resolving the first practical problem, the NRC and KAERI developed two dedicated HRA data collection systems, SACADA (Scenario Authoring, Characterization, And Debriefing Application) and HuREX (Human Reliability data EXtraction), respectively. In addition, to inform HRA practitioners, the NRC and KAERI proposed several ideas to extract useful information from simulator data. This paper is the first of two papers to discuss the technical underpinnings of the development of the SACADA and HuREX systems.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.405-414
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• 2012

In this paper, we propose a reliability estimation method for DI&C systems. At the system level, a fault tree model is suggested and Boolean algebra is used to obtain the minimal cut sets. At the component level, an exponential distribution is used to model hardware failures, and Bayesian estimation is suggested to estimate the failure rate. Additionally, a binomial distribution is used to model software failures, and a recently developed software reliability estimation method is suggested to estimate the software failure rate. The overall system reliability is then estimated based on minimal cut sets, hardware failure rates and software failure rates.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.50 no.7
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• pp.1099-1105
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• 2018

How to choose defaults in risk-informed regulations depends on the conservatism implicated in regulatory defaults. Without a universal agreement on the approaches dealing with the conservatism of defaults, however, the desirability of conservatism in regulatory risk analyses has long been controversial. The opponent views it as needlessly costly and irrational, and the proponent as a form of protection against possible omissions or underestimation of risks. Moreover, the inherent ambiguity of risk makes it difficult to set suitable defaults in terms of risk. This paper, the extension of the previous work [1], focuses on the effects of different levels of conservatism implicated in regulatory defaults on the estimates of risk. According to the postulated behaviors of regulated parties and the diversity of interests of regulators, in particular, various measures for evaluating the effect of conservatism in defaults are developed and their properties are explored. In addition, a simple decision model for setting regulatory defaults is formulated, based on the understanding of the effect of conservatism implicated in them. It can help decision makers evaluate the levels of safety likely to result from their regulatory policies.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.221-230
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• 2005

This paper reviews the pivotal phases of the evolution of the current technology-dependent nuclear power safety regulation in the United States. Understanding of this evolution is essential to the development of any future regulatory paradigm, including the technology-neutral regulatory approach that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has recently embarked on to develop. The paper proposes and examines the implications of a predominately rationalist and best-estimate probabilistic regulatory framework called safety goals-driven performance-based regulation. This framework relies on continuous assessment of performance of a set of time-dependent safety-critical systems, structures and components that assure attainment of a broad set of technology-neutral protective, mitigative, and preventive goals. Finally, the paper discusses the steps needed to develop a corresponding technology-neutral regulatory system from the proposed framework.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.870-875
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• 2023

In this paper, we analyzed the revised guidance on electromagnetic (EM) interference qualification of Regulatory Guide 1.180 (Revision 2), which is published by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for electromagnetic compatibility qualification for nuclear safety, by comparing it with that of the previous version. We confirmed that the test methods and the acceptance criteria of both CE101 and CE102 tests for conductive emission and RE102 test for radiating emission are changed in the recently revised Regulatory Guide 1.180 (Revision 2). Furthermore, we found that the revised Regulatory Guide 1.180 provides flexibility in the use of alternative methods for EM interference (EMI) qualification, in that a mix of the various base-standards is technically allowed. In addition, the primary revision of the updated Regulatory. Guide 1.180 is that MIL-STD-461G is to be adopted as the latest base-standard, instead of MIL-STD-461E. To evaluate the influence on EMI qualification for nuclear safety due to the endorsement of MIL-STD-461G, we thoroughly analyzed the modifications in the acceptance criteria and test methods for EMI qualification, and then validated the analyzed effect on the EMI qualification, which is caused by the revision of MIL-STD-461, by performing electromagnetic simulation for equipment under RE102 test.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.51 no.7
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• pp.1791-1798
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• 2019

Instrumentation and Control (I&C) systems of nuclear power plants (NPPs) have been continuously digitalized. These systems have a critical role in the operation of nuclear facilities by functioning as the brain of NPPs. In recent years, as cyber security threats to NPP systems have increased, regulatory and policy-related organizations around the world, including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and Korea Institute of Nuclear Nonproliferation and Control (KINAC), have emphasized the importance of nuclear cyber security by publishing cyber security guidelines and recommending cyber security requirements for NPP facilities. As described in NRC Regulatory Guide (Reg) 5.71 and KINAC RS015, challenge response authentication should be applied to the critical digital I&C system of NPPs to satisfy the cyber security requirements. There have been no cases in which the most robust response authentication technology like challenge response has been developed and applied to nuclear I&C systems. This paper presents a challenge response authentication mechanism for a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) system used as a control system in the safety system of the Advanced Power Reactor (APR) 1400 NPP.